THE City Council needs to get its skates on, says Councillor Brendan Curran following yet another council meeting aimed at resolving the skateboarding deadlock in Newry City Centre.

As things stand the streets of Newry are inundated with skateboarders, who say that because of a lack of facilities they have nowhere else to go. City Centre traders and pedestrians are up in arms saying that it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured. Councillor Curran spoke to The Democrat about the meeting.

"It was well attended by everyone expect Council officials who are the ones who hold the purse strings." He lashed out at people's attitude to the skateboarders. "It's nearly getting to the stage where it's a crime to be a young person in Newry.

"Instead of looking for a solution we are coming up with hundreds of reasons not to facilitating them." He shot down the theory that the cost of insurance is too high to facilitate a skate park in Newry. "There's no problem finding £10,000 for golf tournaments.

"We have an onus and responsibility to find somewhere for these young people to skate safely." He added that skateboarding is just one in a number of minority sports that is getting second-class treatment from the Council.

"If it's not football they don't want to know. "Swimming and cycling are other sports that get the push they deserve."